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Posted November 15, 2010

andre where have you been it is so good to have you back i have missed your wise cousel

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Posted November 15, 2010

Sorry, I have a hard time, when and if people look for, towards, complement or thinks that I am something. It's as they say, "Complicated". I am just a bare canvas, that God uses, and nothing more, and in that I am happy, to be so. because He paints such wonderful things on me. To be "touched" by the Creator, is almost more then one can stand, or even try to convey.
Like Mary, (although I am no where near that great), I can say, to the will of God, ""Let it be done to me according to thy word" (v. 38). and with Christ Our Lord: “Not my will, but yours be done, O Lord!'", I am nothing. "In all thy ways acknowledge him, and He shall direct your paths. ... God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; ..." & "
He confused the proud within their thoughts He has set down the mighty from their thrones, and raised the lowly ones on high." or" He has shown great strength with His arm and has scattered the proud of heart. He has cast down the mighty from their thrones and has raised up the lowly ..."Therefore, I know my place in His will and creation, and contemplate, in silence and isolation.
For His Company is enough for me, and only if His Spirit directs my path here, shall I come. I know that you also love Him in me and I love Him in you, so we are never actually apart, in spirit, love and heart.

Al_Fother

Al_Fother

3 posts

Posted November 16, 2010

Glad to see such a video - hope the day comes when our kids look at this kind of thing and say, "What the heck was that all about?".

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Posted November 16, 2010

love is the love of God and all things created by HIM, yours in Christ, we will learn, we are always learning

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Posted November 16, 2010

"May the road rise up to meet you. May the wind be always at your back. May the sun shine warm upon your face. May the rains fall soft upon your field. Until we meet again, my friends, May God hold you in the palm of his hand."

Deleted Member

Deleted Member

Posted November 16, 2010

may the love of god find us all

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Posted November 16, 2010

A storm is approaching. We have known that it would come to this for it was foretold of old. Do not shed a tear nor show any fear, for the day is almost done.
Be at peace, all of us shall be made whole and One,
At the end of the storm, it shall be faith hope and love, that will have won.

Deleted Member

Deleted Member

Posted November 16, 2010

Congregation Beit Simchat Torah (CBST) has a message for people regarding the subject of LGBT bullying and LGBT suicide. It goes something like this: being gay is not an abomination; hate is the abomination.

That premise forms the core of a new project launched by CBST, alongside organizations Keshet and Nehirim, to reach out to LGBT youth who are coming to terms with their sexual orientation or gender identity. That project is called Strength Through Community, and it seeks to build off of the success of the "It Gets Better" project to not only provide stories of LGBT people, but to also make sure LGBT folks know that they have a wealth of support in the Jewish community.

Rabbi Sharon Kleinbaum, the senior Rabbi at CBST and openly lesbian, stressed that the campaign is a way to fight back against the tendency to treat LGBT youth as if they are outsiders, outcasts, or immoral -- a tendency which all too frequently creates a climate where bullying and suicide can thrive.

"There are those who say that God hates gays," Rabbi Kleinbaum said. "There are those who say we are either criminal, sick or sinful. None of these are true. We are all created in God's image. All genders, all sexual orientations, all races, all sizes, all of us."

Now that's a foundation to build a powerful campaign on.

According to CBST, the heart of the Strength Through Community initiative is an online video campaign highlighting stories by members and leaders of Jewish organizations to provide messages of support grounded in faith -- messages like Rabbi Kleinbaum's above, or messages like the countless others on their site that send the message that there's a community of people who can help if someone is being bullied or harassed because of their sexual orientation or gender identity. The messages are guided by principles developed with the support of the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP).

"Anyone who condemns LGBTQ people with religious language is blaspheming God's name. LGBTQ people in crisis need to know that we are here for them and that wherever they are they have a home with us," said Rabbi Kleinbaum of the project. "In a country where two thirds of people believe the pulpit is in part to blame for the bullying of LGBTQ people, our communities raise our voices with a positive message steeped in faith."

Check out the Strength Through Community project here. This is important work. As Rabbi Kleinbaum mentions, all too often we talk about religion being the bully. And you don't have to look too far to see it, what with religious leaders blaming gay people for natural disasters, religious schools censoring even the existence of gay couples, and people using the name of God to justify violence toward the LGBT population.

It's refreshing, not to mention necessary, to see a powerful progressive alternative to all that hate.

I pray, that it offends no one~here or any where, if it does, I then beg your forgiveness,

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Posted November 21, 2010

no offense taken Andre, finally love in the name of religion not someone's own agenda

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Posted November 21, 2010

I bet you cook a Great Turkey! what are your plans for Thanksgiving?
And thank you for your kindness Marianne.
Love in Him

Andre~

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Posted November 21, 2010

i have to work what about you!? love in Him

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Posted November 21, 2010

Well I am from the East (Which I thought it was the south, until I got here) VA.
Both my parents are dead as are grandparents. You know that saying 3 strikes and you're out, well that sorta applies to me but in a good way.
My family will have nothing to do with me because I chose to be a Catholic, I also choose not buy into their bigotry and hate or racism. I might have been accepted if I did also pursue a higher education, past High School.
I remember the great scandal I was to my Mom because I refused to quit HS and get a job age 151/2 and give her money! the family was really and about that. So much so they kicked me out of the house and I stayed with a friend of the family whom we called "Uncle Eugene", sweet old man.
If all that wasn't enough, I have AIDS, and that is THE reason, although we both know it isn't, but they use that sole reason to keep me at bay.
I am not welcomed there, and as sad as that might be, I am not, so I will be alone in a "residential hotel" with my cat Providence. I am the "Black sheep" in my family, although many of them envy me because no one in the family has ever moved out of state for any length of time.
I remember the priest friend I had accompany me to my Mom's funeral, and he (As are most people) was in shock the sharp contrast between my and my family. He jokingly, asked me if we were at the funeral, and I assured him that we were, because if for no other reason, that was my mom in the casket.
Most of them were also in shock (My family) because I didn't shed any tears, I had no reason to. I love my Mother and she loved me enough to allow me to baptize her before I moved to LA. Catholics, choose a "saints" name when they are baptized, my mother didn't know about that so I gave her the Saints name of Monica You can read about her here and you will see why I name her so. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_Monica
Mother used to throw fits when I went to Church, sometimes every day, and she was also mad that I wanted a Catholic education, and she smiled, and wished me good luck with that/ As it so happen that the Daughters Of Charity Of St. Vincent De Paul, were running the Catholic Schools, in my home town of Portsmouth, VA. and when I pleaded my case with the Mother Superior, the Sisters, bought me my uniforms and allowed me to go to their school without charge, which really made my mom mad! As she forbade me to be baptized and I had to wait until I was 18, to be formality welcomed into the Church, (Even though a Priest in High School did baptized me conditionally and in secret, because somehow I was able to convince him of my sincerity to be a part of God's family, and I had already suffered much at home because of it. That God opened his heart and was moved by my entreaties, I can not say what I think I remember I said, saved for the fact that he was moved as much as the Mother Superior was and granted it. I would and was a member of the Church but I had to wait until I was 18, to be baptized formally, at which time, I am again not sure what I said, but I had to have my Mother there she had to drive me by car, and also attend Mass as I was baptized , just before communion, which on Dec 23, shocked most of the people there, because it was quite usually for anyone to be baptized like that!! But so it was. The Priest Father Paul, made the announcement, and had me come up into the sanctuary. put a white alb on me and ask the alter boy to please hold my hair for it was quite long then, and it was done!, I assisted him in serving communion after that and there were many people who cane to me and kissed me wand welcomed me in to the Church. My Mother could not but be helped to have her eyes opened then and although we fought very hard through all those years, she in her heart accepted Christ! Before Father Paul asked me to come up, during the Liturgy of the Mass, we knelt and prayed the "Our Father',.......Which I kneeing beside my Mom, I took her hand in mine three times so that we could and would be heard as one voice. She with drew her hand twice but on the third time, she rested her hand in mine, and started to pray. So at my mothers funeral, I was the Only one Not crying, but as we one by one with to her casket to say our final farewells, I leaned forward and gently kissed her on the forehead, and I was overcome with Joy and Peace and was actually smiling solemnly that all was well. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6XmWamnH4RA&feature=related I knew, my mother was indeed in Heaven and at peace! My Step father who was a alcoholic, who didn't attend the funeral but was at the reception afterwards, was about to leave as I was walking in, so we met face to face. and he asked me (Thinking I was still in LA) "What the Hell are YOU doing here?!!!" . I smiled at him and informed him, that I am a Blood relative, what was his excuse or reason? A open bar? He spat his Chew on the ground and left. He always hated me because I reminded My mother of My father, and for no other reason, Which I understand.
So I will be alright for no other reason that you cared enough to ask me. and I thank you. and am thankful for you.
I am sorry you have to work I hope they pay you double or over time.
When I did Nursing, the Hospitals would give us a Turkey, and at St John's Hospital, in Santa Monica when I worked there, a Doctor gave us each a bottle of champagne. I will be happy if I live long enough to be here when they find a cure for this so I can go back to work, in healthcare!
You are always in my heart, on my mind and in my prayers.

Your brother in Christ Andre

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Posted November 22, 2010

there was a reson for your suffering Andre and that is to show us all Gods love and His way is the LIGHT and to show us the paths for our lives, your mother was destined to have you as her son and she is indeed with God. yo also are always in my thoughts and payers and this Thanksgiving i will be also thankful you are in my life, love always, your Sister in Christ, Marianne

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Posted November 22, 2010

I couldn't wish for a better sister, then you to be my Sister in Christ, Marianne, if ya don't believe me, you could ask my real sister, but she pretty much has disowned me which is OK. I have no problem with that.
I told her, a long time ago, the longer you hold a grudge, the heavier it becomes.
There are signs that she is getting help in processing her outlook in life, and who knows, maybe one day she'll surprise me, and seek reconciliation.
Thinking on that, I get a glimpse of what it may have been like in faith for the Jews, when the Pharaoh's army was in pursuit of them and they faced the Red sea, and all hoped seemed lost, and even doubtful when Moses, extended his staff to part it, and lo! There it was, hoped manifest by the parting of the Red Sea, a pathway to safety made possible as the saying goes, "Without Doubt there can be no faith!" At least I think that's the way it goes! LOL!
The blessings and fellowships we share, although we've never actually met, made possible, through the Net.
Reminds me of this oldie

The Sound Of Silence Lyrics
Artist(Band):Simon and Garfunkel

Hello darkness, my old friend,
I've come to talk with you again,
Because a vision softly creeping,
Left its seeds while I was sleeping,
And the vision that was planted in my brain
Still remains
Within the sound of silence.

In restless dreams I walked alone
Narrow streets of cobblestone,
'Neath the halo of a street lamp,
I turned my collar to the cold and damp
When my eyes were stabbed by the flash of a neon light
That split the night
And touched the sound of silence.

And in the naked light I saw
Ten thousand people, maybe more.
People talking without speaking,
People hearing without listening,
People writing songs that voices never share
And no one dared
Disturb the sound of silence.

"Fools" said I, "You do not know
Silence like a cancer grows.
Hear my words that I might teach you,
Take my arms that I might reach you."
But my words like silent raindrops fell,
And echoed
In the wells of silence.

And the people bowed and prayed
To the neon god they made.
And the sign flashed out its warning,
In the words that it was forming.
And the sign said, the words of the prophets are written on the subway walls
And tenement halls.
And whisper'd in the sounds of silence."

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Posted November 22, 2010

beautiful Andre I can feel your soul and you're special, you are a modern day prophet your sister, Marianne

Johnny_Young

Johnny_Young

1 post

Posted November 23, 2010

If you want the truth read Romans 1:25 - 27.

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Posted November 23, 2010

I am just a poor clay vessel, that prays in the darkness, that His will be done,
Until the day, when I can and may be blessed enough to kiss the wounds of He who suffered and died for all humankind, So that we made be clean before a Lord of love and mercy, Who loves us all without division or exception, inclusion and not exclusion, so long as we walk in His foot steps.

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Posted November 23, 2010

but your heart and soul are so very beutiful

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Posted November 23, 2010

flatterer! ;D Yours too. I will have to check the missions for I've run out of food.
1/2 because of the medicine, the other part because the girl downstairs smokes Pot which comes right through the floorboards and make me and my cat sick, not to mention that we do not like getting high. Yuck!

Deleted Member

Deleted Member

Posted November 23, 2010

Did I ever tel l you, your my hero? You're everything I wished I could be! For you are the wind beneath my wings.